Category D & D1 Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV)Training

If you held a full car (cat B) driving licence before 1 January 1997
and meet certain conditions you may be able to drive a minibus, as
long as it is not for 'hire or reward' (no payment from or on behalf
of the passengers). Your permitted license category D1 and D1+E will be shown
on your license. You are permitted to tow a trailer.

Category D1 Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) License Requirements

Category D1 - Minibus between 8 and 16 seats

A Minibus is defined as - a motor vehicle which is constructed or
adapted to carry more than 8 but not more than 16 seated passengers
in addition to the driver.
If you held a full car (cat B) driving licence before 1 January 1997
and meet certain conditions you may be able to drive a minibus, as
long as it is not for 'hire or reward' (no payment from or on behalf
of the passengers). Your permitted license category D1 and D1+E will be shown
on your license. You are permitted to tow a trailer.
If you obtained your full car (cat B) license after 1 January 1997,
you can drive a minibus within the UK as long as you are 21 or older,
you must have held your full (cat B) driving licence for at least 2
years. You must be driving on a voluntary basis and the minibus used f
or social purposes by a non-commercial body. The maximum weight of
the minibus must not be more than 3.5 tonnes (or 4.25 tonnes including
specialist equipment for disabled passengers, (eg a wheelchair ramp).
You are not permitted to tow a trailer.
If you meet either criteria above and need to charge for running costs
you can apply for a minibus permit under section 19, as long as:-
you are driving it for a voluntary organisation that benefits the
community (eg an educational, religious or sports organisation), and
the minibus service is only available for members of that organisation
(not to the general public). Any charges are to cover running costs
and are made on a non-profit basis. This is a fairly complex area
and it is very easy to fall foul of the rules.
Also remember that an employer cannot indemnify a volunteer minibus
driver where a court has imposed sanctions by way of fines or penalty
points as a result of committing any road traffic offense, and the
driver of the vehicle is responsible for ensuring all licensing and
insurance requirements have been met.

Category D Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) License Requirements

Category D - Minibus or Bus

A large PCV (passenger-carrying vehicle), is defined as a vehicle
used for carrying passengers, constructed or adapted to carry more
than 16 passengers.
A small PCV is defined as a vehicle used for carrying passengers
for hire or reward, constructed or adapted to carry more than 8 but
not more than 16 passengers. Both definitions can include a combination
of such a motor vehicle and trailer.
To apply for the license to drive a Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV)
you must be over 18 and hold a full valid cat B car license. You
will need to complete form D2 'Application for a driving licence
for a lorry, minibus or bus' and medical report form D4, which will
need to be completed by a registered medical practitioner. Most GPs
will do this for a charge. Application for Form D2 can be made
here ,
and medical form D4 can be downloaded
here .
If you have a photo card driving licence, include the D740 paper
counterpart. If you have a paper driving licence, you must include
a passport-style colour photo and original identity documents. Forward
all documents to the DVLA.
You will also need to sit the Bus and lorry driver theory test, the
theory test is made up of 2 parts - multiple choice and hazard perception.
You can book these tests online, it does not matter which test you
take first but you need to pass both within 2 years of each other
to get your theory test certificate.
After passing the theory tests you will get a pass letter with the
results for the part of the theory test you have taken. After passing
both parts, you will get sent your theory test certificate with your
theory test number on it. You will need the theory test number to book
your practical test. Your theory test certificate is valid for 2 years
from when you passed the first part of the test.

For further information about licensing or training, contact
Gov.UK, for
further information on other license upgrades select from the
options below:-